Artists, volunteers install community art mural

The future is coming is the slogan pasted on Lexington Home Brands Plant No. 1 along with a paper mural of a historic train that once travelled through Lexington.

BY REBEKAH CANSLER MCGEEThe Dispatch

The future is coming.That is the slogan pasted on Lexington Home Brands Plant No. 1 along with a paper mural of a historic train that once travelled through Lexington. Artists, city representatives and volunteers gathered Thursday afternoon to install a community art project. A paper mural of a train with the slogan "the future is coming" represents Lexington's soon-to-be passenger rail stop in 2015. This project was brought before the city council along with a painted mural project of a time line on the side of a building at 202 E. Third Ave. "This project was something we talked about while walking through the site," said Jeanne Johnston, business and community development coordinator for Lexington. The painted project is a long-term goal that may take well into the year; however, Johnston noted at the city council meeting that the paper mural could go up rather quickly, adding community art to the uptown area. The process began with a fire truck and firefighters assisting artists Jimmy Huynh, Daniel Huynh and Stewart Knight, all of Black Heart Gallery. Volunteers also arrived at the location to help. Jimmy Huynh had made about 20 gallons of an adhesive wheat paste the day before. Special, heavy paper was ordered through SignWorks, which also did the printing of the train image. "The image makes quite an impact," Jimmy Huynh said. "I hope it drives traffic toward that area, and we hope to see a positive change in the community."The adhesive paste made of wheat, sugar and water was rolled onto the dry brick. The paper mural was pressed into the adhesive, but the elements created a few bumps along the road. "The wind tore the first panel apart quite a bit, and we had to call Cory Cooper at SignWorks to reprint that section so we could piece it back together," Johnston said. With the sun shining bright and a calm wind early in the morning, Johnston said they thought they had the perfect day, but as the hours wore on, the breeze turned to gusts. "We just like to help out where we can in the community and the city. If we can get into a project benefiting the city and helping things look better, it's a win/win situation," said Cooper, vice president of SignWorks. After the mural was installed, a second coat of the wheat paste was rolled over the top of the image to seal it into place. Huynh noted the paper is biodegradable, and if the mural needed to be removed at any time, pressure washing would erase the image, or it will disintegrate over time from rain. "I like the train image," Cooper said. "I'm looking forward to what's going to happen in the whole district. I think we need to call attention to the project and build some more steam for that area."Rebekah Cansler McGee can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 228, or at rebekah.mcgee@the-dispatch.com.